Mount Shasta is located in northern California, east of Interstate 5 along SR89, between Mount Shasta city and McCloud city, California, USA.
Mount Shasta is inside Shasta – Trinity National Forest and the second highest volcano in the Cascade Range. On the west of Mount Shasta, Mount Eddy dominates the mountain range across the valley. Between Mount Shasta and Mount Eddy lies the magnificent 9 mi/14.5 km Sisson – Callahan National Recreational Trail, which is ideal for backpacking.
Its position offers spectacular Mountain View, especially the view of Castle Crags to the south and Trinity Alps to the west, as seen from Deadfall Summit. It is an area of breathtaking alpine lakes, rugged peaks, rushing steams and emerald green meadows.
The trail has a 8020 ft/2444 m elevation and crosses through Deadfall Summit right up from Deadfall Lakes. If you hike on spring or early it is possible to find snow at the summit but still be able to enjoy the intoxicating smell of azaleas while blooming down along the North Fork of Sacramento River.
During your hike you will see an amazing variety of conifer species. Water is plenty and you will find campsites at frequent intervals next to the trail. The Sisson – Callahan National Recreational Trail is one of the 47 National Recreational Trails in the National Forest of California.
Route to trailheads starts from Deadfall Lakes and North fork of the Sacramento River. When you pick a camping point, make sure that it has adequate water runoff and use plastic under your tent to stay dry. If you go backpacking on early spring, prefer to camp on snow than on fragile damp areas of earth.
Try to use an already used camping spot, so you won’t expand camping area. Watch out for bears, they are present in the wilderness, so hang your food away from the camp. If you want to burn a campfire, do it only in established fire pits. Best season to go backpacking is from early April until late October, depending on weather conditions and snow.